Report: White Sox, Eloy Jimenez finalizing 6-year, $43M deal

The Chicago White Sox and outfielder Eloy Jimenez are in the process of finalizing a six-year deal worth $43 million, Jeff Passan of ESPN reports.

Passan adds that the deal includes a pair of team options that can increase the value to approximately $77 million.

The contract represents a record for a minor-leaguer yet to appear in the majors, surpassing the six-year, $24-million contract Scott Kingery signed last winter with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Eloy is set to make $11 million over the first three years of the deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The subsequent three guaranteed years will pay the outfielder $6.5 million, $9.5 million, and $13 million, respectively. Finally, the club options for 2025-26 are worth $16.5 million and $18.5 million, respectively, with $3-million buyouts for each year.

Jimenez, 22, is the top-ranked prospect in Chicago's system and No. 3 in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

He was optioned to Triple-A after a poor showing at spring training. As a result, Jimenez wasn't expected to make the Opening Day roster. Now that service time no longer matters for Jimenez's earning potential, the White Sox could choose to include him when their season opens March 28 against the Kansas City Royals.

In 108 games across two minor-league levels last year, Jimenez slashed .337/.384/.577 with 22 home runs. In 26 spring training at-bats, however, Jimenez posted an underwhelming .500 OPS with one homer and one stolen base.

The Chicago Cubs signed Jimenez as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 but traded him to the White Sox along with other prospects in exchange for Jose Quintana during the 2017 season.